Model One
by BDBfiction
Summary: Two unknown men are killed while sitting in their unmarked car on a sleepy residential road. Special Agent Gibbs and his team must find out who shot them and why, and how a missing family is linked.
1. Chapter 1

One black car parked on the curb, not running, no plates, a cracked tinted window on the passenger side with a burning cigarette sticking out, and two men inside. The neighborhood is full of families. Soccer moms and their vans, dads with their lawnmowers, and pets that get away just to pee on the neighbors' bushes. Those men in the black sedan do not belong, and the dark haired woman who spotted them right when she turned on to Willow Tree Drive knows this.

She drives by them, being as casual as she was when she left earlier that day, and turns into her driveway two houses in front of them to the right. She hums while turning off her car and grabbing her bag of groceries. There's ice cream. So she must get inside quickly.

As soon as she's in the kitchen, she puts away the groceries and grabs binoculars from out of the utility drawer. She goes into the empty living room. She never intends to furnish the house. Her stay has always been temporary. She pulls back the curtain only a little and looks through the binoculars. The men are still in the car, and another vehicle drives up and parks behind them. Same make, same model, black, tinted windows, and two more men.

The woman goes upstairs to a bedroom that has a long range rifle set up at the window. Before sitting down, she pulls back her hair into a ponytail. She takes her seat and finds her target. She breathes in and out, and with a steady aim, she squeezes the trigger, killing the driver in the first car. The expert killer doesn't waste time taking out the passenger, as well. The car behind them starts backing up screeching tires and doing a turn that rocks the car. They take off down the road. The woman stands and breaks down the weapon. It's time for her next move.


	2. Chapter 2

Ziva stares at Tony's vacant desk. He's been gone all morning, and she doesn't know where he is. She's spoken to Tim, who is at his desk watching a livestream of NavitSaturn about to land on Tethys, a moon of Saturn. Ziva even went to Abby's lab earlier that day to ask if she's seen Tony. Abby doesn't know where he is, either. The only person she hasn't asked is Gibbs, and he's been away from his desk since mid-morning. Ziva can't stand it any longer, and she rushes over to Tony's desk. She checks his itinerary on his computer. To her disappointment, there isn't anything on it.

"Tim," Ziva calls impatiently.

"I still don't know where he is," he answers while keeping his attention fully on the computer screen.

"Has he called? He must of called. Check your phone. Do you have any missed calls?"

Tim glances quickly at his cell and says, "No phone calls. He's fine, Ziva. Maybe, he's with his dad."

"But he would have said something, don't you think?"

Tim is too engrossed to answer.

"Do you know how many times I've called him? He hasn't answered once."

"It's about to land," Tim remarks with wide eyes.

"What's about to land?" Ziva goes over to Tim's desk to see what he's looking at.

"NavitSaturn is about to touchdown on Tethys. It has been traveling for 6 years. I've been keeping track of it since it launched."

"What exactly is the point of watching a NavitSaturn land on a tetter?"

Tim looks up at Ziva and says, "Tethys."

"Whatever. Why aren't you more concerned about Tony? He should have been here by now or called."

"He's fine," Gibbs answers as he goes over to his desk. "But we have two Marines who are not. Two shot dead in Falls Church."

Tim points at his computer and says, "I guess I'll be missing the landing."

"Yes, indeed, you will," Gibbs responds as he heads for the elevator.

Ziva and Tim grabs their things and runs to catch up with Gibbs before the elevator door closes.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

Detective Jonathon Pilot stares at the car from five yards away. He's never seen anything like it before. Blood and guts are splattered inside the vehicle. The windows, even though are tinted, shows globs of brain matter against it. All the ten year police veteran can do is shake his head at the unbelievable carnage two bullets can do.

Ducky and Palmer are already on scene, one on each side of the car looking at bodies with no heads.

"Detective Pilot," Gibbs says as he stops next to him.

"Special Agent Gibbs," Detective Pilot remarks, looking at the Marine from head to toe. "You got here quicker than I thought. So did your M.E."

"Anyone touched the bodies?" Gibbs asks.

"Only our M.E. She found identification in the wallets, saw they were military, and called Dr. Mallard directly."

"Found any witnesses yet?"

"My officers were instructed to secure the scene, and get names and addresses if anyone approaches them with information. No one has so far."

Ziva and Tim walks by Gibbs and Detective Pilot, both looking awkwardly at the car.

Gibbs remarks to the detective, "Thank you for your assistance."

"I'll leave two uniforms here just in case you need them. Good luck. This case looks like it's going to be a real nasty one." Detective Pilot takes one last glance at the car before shaking his head and walking away.

Gibbs walks over to Ducky, who is taking a closer look at the body in the driver's seat. The upper body and the lap is a total bloody mess along with the steering wheel, dashboard, and the inside of the window.

"What happened to these guys?" Gibbs asks as he bends down to get a better look.

Ducky gets back to his feet and says, "Well, as you can see, it's quite disturbing, Jethro. Both heads literally exploded, leaving the body and neck intact. Brain matter has coated the inside of the car, and I've seen tiny pieces of metal everywhere, also. Quite strange really.

"It reminds me of the time I went to this private sports club in Wesley Chapel, Florida. It's just north of Tampa, and in this club, they had a golf range, tennis courts, racquet ball courts, and shooting ranges. A comrade of mine shot at a cantaloupe and a watermelon, against my advice. Both of them made quite a mess. The hosts were none to please with his charade."

"Sounds like fun," Ziva says with a smile.

"Did you know that shooting is considered a sport? There were people, members of that sports club actually, who thought that the shooting range should not be there? They say it's not a sport. They had a petition going."

"Shooting is a sport," Ziva cuts in. "It takes concentration, poise, patience, and at times, stamina."

"Ducky," Tim remarks as he takes pictures of the body on the other side of the car. "Didn't you just say that you found tiny pieces of metal?"

"Oh, yes, my apologies, I was on a tangent. As you can see there are shiny pieces mixed in with the blood."

"What do you think it is," Ziva asks as she tries to get a closer look. Ducky stands back out of the way.

"I will have to leave that to our darling sweet Abby to figure out."

"There are tire tracks left in the asphalt back behind the car. Looks like someone made a quick U-turn from a parking position." Tim observes. "And I noticed there's something strange about the holes in the front windows."

"They're high," Gibbs answers, already looking at them from the front of the car.

"Maybe, someone who sat high in a truck driving by shot them," Tim offers up.

"Almost impossible," Ziva points out. "The truck would have to be moving in the same direction this car was facing, and the shooter would have to take aim from the back. The shooter would be too low. There are, at least, two houses that the shot could be made from and that tree over there."

"If they used the tree, that means someone would know these two guys were going to park at this exact spot and at what time, and be perched in the tree before they got here." Gibbs and Ziva go over to the tree that's closest to the car. They look up and around to see if any branches are broken or disturbed. Both quickly determine that the tree couldn't have been used. They look at the houses across the street. The first one looks like no one is home. The second house has a second floor open window with a curtain flying out of it. Gibbs and Ziva both look at one another with a silent confirmation.

"We need to check that house," Gibbs remarks, while taking out his gun.


End file.
